Let Love In
by drama-freak-csim
Summary: When Hawkes, Danny, and Lindsay are called away to a conference, can Danny and Lindsay continue to hide their feelings from each other? DL
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first CSI:NY fic, It's set somewhere in season two, please tell me what you think, thanks! P.S. I own nothing.**

* * *

Lindsay Monroe shivered and pulled her scarf around her neck tighter as she retreated from the freezing wind outside into the New York lab. It wasn't that much warmer inside. She frowned. She didn't get much sleep last night so she was tired, cold, and in dire need of a coffee, not to mention she was also running a little late. 

When she reached the break room she found Hawkes and Danny talking. Danny gave her a smile as she entered which she shrugged off, heading straight for the coffee.

"Bad mornin' Montana?" Danny asked as he sipped his coffee.

Lindsay ignored Danny's question and sighed at the empty coffee pot. She stared directly at Danny. "Is that the last cup of coffee?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes very bad morning'," Hawkes commented as he sat to read the paper.

Danny smiled sheepishly. "First come, first serve I'm afraid."

As Danny raised his mug for another sip Lindsay swooped in and carefully but swiftly snatched the mug out of his hands with minimal spill.

"Hey," Danny protested as he licked the warm liquid off his thumb.

Lindsay sat down across from Hawkes and drank a mouthful of Danny's coffee. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh.

Hawkes looked up from his paper. "Bad night?"

She nodded. Danny sat next to Lindsay on the couch and snatched his coffee back.

"Partying too late again Montana?" He asked with a smirk before drinking his coffee and licking his lips teasingly.

Lindsay glared. "For your information Messer," She snatched back the mug, frowning upon noticing it was empty. "I couldn't sleep last night, or the night before, or even the night before that."

Danny frowned sympathetically and got up to make her some more coffee. "Was it cos of the case?"

Danny was referring to the case the three of them had just closed. It involved sleepless nights trying to piece together evidence that a father had brutally murdered his six year old son. After the case had been closed Lindsay had been having recurring nightmares about it.

"It's just been stuck on my mind lately. What are you guys still doing here anyway? Hasn't Mac assigned you to a case yet?"

"He told us to meet him here," Hawkes informed. "He said he has something for the three of us."

"Speak of the devil," Danny mentioned as Mac walked into the break room. "Hey Mac."

"Morning guys," Mac greeted. "Look, I know you guys have been working especially hard lately and it's taken its toll on each of you, but I've got a surprise."

Mac tossed a pamphlet onto the table.

Hawkes grabbed it and read it out aloud. "Forensic science and criminology convention."

Mac nodded. "Four days of lectures from experts around the country. It's in Dallas and starts tomorrow morning. I want you three to fly out today and attend the lectures, all expenses paid."

"Today? That's short notice," Danny commented.

"I've already got your plane tickets. Hey, if you wanna sit out I've got Stella barking up my tree for an invite," Mac replied with a smile.

"No, I'm definitely in," replied Danny.

"Me too," added Hawkes.

"Count me in," Lindsay agreed.

"Good, you all deserve a break. Here are your tickets. Your flight leaves at 10:15 am, I've got a friend in Dallas, Robby Malinin, he'll meet you at the airport and set you up with a place to stay."

"Thanks Mac," thanked Danny as he accepted his ticket.

"I want you guys to come back well rested. You'd better go home and start packing, your flight leaves soon," Mac replied, before leaving the room.

Danny stood beside Lindsay and handed her a fresh cup of coffee. She accepted it with a grateful smile and left the room.

"I hope you're gonna be able to contain yourself on this little trip," Hawkes commented.

"Huh?" Danny asked confused.

"Cos if I get stuck between you and Lindsay Monroe on the plane…"

Danny rolled his eyes. "We're just friends."

"That's right, you and I are just friends, you and _Lindsay_ on the other hand," Hawkes got up and folded his newspaper.

He patted Danny on the shoulder on his way out.

"You don't know what you're talking bout man," Danny called to him.

* * *

Lindsay got to her apartment and started packing. She was a bit nervous to leave on such short notice, but excited to know that she was getting four stress free days in Dallas away from tough cases, not to mention getting 'stuck' with Danny for the whole conference.

* * *

Ok, tell me what you think! 


	2. Chapter 2

Lindsay's taxi arrived at the airport a little earlier than she had expected. She looked around but couldn't see Hawkes or Danny anywhere.

After bagging in her luggage she sat on the bench and muffled a yawn. She really didn't get much sleep last night. After the nightmare she'd had, she didn't really want to go back to sleep anyway. She pulled out a book from her handbag and waited for the boys to arrive.

* * *

Danny pulled out his luggage from the boot while Hawkes payed the cab driver. "You think Lindsay's here yet?" Hawkes asked.

"Course she is," Danny replied. "It's Lindsay."

"Ya know I've noticed that whenever we talk about Lindsay, which seems to be a lot lately, you refer to her as Lindsay but whenever you're with her it's always Monroe or Montana," Hawkes commented as they walked into the terminal.

"And ya point is?"

"I'm just making an observation, you obviously care about her."

Danny laughed and shook his head. "It ain't like that man."

"I mean the way you act-"

"Hawkes, it ain't like that," Danny repeated as they reached Lindsay.

"What ain't like that?" Lindsay asked with a smile, putting on an accent.

"Why nothing at all little lady," Danny teased in a country voice.

Lindsay shoved him in the back as she got up. "Let's go, our plane's boarding."

Lindsay walked ahead of Hawkes and Danny. Hawkes gave Danny a knowing look.

"Don't even say it," Danny warned playfully as he followed Lindsay.

* * *

"We're here," Danny said as they reached their seats. Danny let Hawkes go in first, followed by Lindsay. She gave him a sweet smile before sitting down. Danny cleared his throat and sat down next to her.

He felt slightly nervous sitting so close to Lindsay and not having a place to retreat to if the tension got too much. Normally, in the lab or on the field, if either felt they were getting too close or overstepping some boundary they could give each other space. But here, they were stuck on a plane thousands of miles in the air with only a small leather arm rest separating their bodies.

As the seat belt sign flashed Danny buckled himself in. He saw that Lindsay was struggling trying to adjust her belt. It hung loosely off her small waist and she was having a hard time trying to make it smaller.

"Could you uh...?" She asked Danny, holding out the belt.

"Sure," Danny answered almost too quickly. He shortened the belt with ease and leant over her body to snap it in. His fingers slightly brushed against her thigh.

"Thanks," She mumbled, her face going pink.

Danny cleared his throat again. "Uh yeah."

A few moments later, the plane was taking off. Danny heard a sharp intake of breath and turned, expecting to see a nervous Lindsay. What he did see was a white faced Hawkes gripping the sides of his seat tightly.

Danny and Lindsay looked at each other. "Are you ok man?"

"U-huh, fine, I'm just... not a fan of flying. It's just the whole take off thing. You know 101 things can go wrong during take off. I-I'll be fine once we, uh, level out," Hawkes mumbled.

Lindsay held back a smile and rubbed Hawkes' arm supportively.

Once the plane levelled out Hawkes let out a big sigh. Lindsay let go of his arm and rubbed her eyes.

"You ok?" Danny asked in a caring voice.

"Yeah, uh, just tired."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, you don't look uh..."

Lindsay looked at him weirdly.

"I just meant, you look tired, not that...," Danny mumbled.

Lindsay dismissed Danny's confusing half strung sentences and turned her attention to the in flight movie, _Romy and Michele's High School Reunion._

Danny sighed inwardly. The plane had just left the airport and already he was making things awkward.

About ten silent minutes later a stewardess came around offering drinks.

Danny shook his head and turned to see if Hawkes or Lindsay wanted anything.

He was surprised to see that Lindsay had fallen asleep and was lightly resting her head on Hawkes' shoulder. Hawkes mouthed 'no' and the stewardess left. Hawkes smirked at Danny.

"What?" Danny whispered.

"Tell me you aren't just the least bit jealous that she's curled up next to me and not you," Hawkes teased.

Danny rolled his eyes. "We've been through this."

"Ok ok, I hear you loud and clear, you do not have any romantic interest in Miss Monroe," Hawkes said, mocking seriousness.

Danny glared at Hawkes but glanced down quickly to see Lindsay sleeping peacefully. Hawkes caught him stealing glances at Lindsay but decided to keep his mouth shut.

A while later Hawkes was shifting in his chair. He gently raised Lindsay's head and rested it against the back of her seat.

She stirred and turned to face Danny, eyes still closed.

"What are ya doing?" Danny mouthed

"Gotta pee," Hawkes explained as he got up and squeezed past the two.

Danny carefully brushed Lindsay's hair out of her face and behind her ear. Her eyes seemed to be moving rapidly under her lids and she had a worried look on her face. Danny figured she was having a nightmare.

* * *

Lindsay looked around the interrogation room. "He's not here," the suspect mumbled.

Lindsay looked to Hawkes who was standing in the corner with his arms crossed.

"He's right. Danny's not here to protect you," Hawkes said coldly.

Lindsay felt someone tugging at her sleeve. It was the young boy. She bent down to hear his quiet voice.

"He wants to kill you," the boy whispered, pointing at his father. The father's eyes bore into Lindsay's.

"Lindsay," the man said slowly, sounding strangely like Danny.

"Lindsay," he said again, eye's still burning into her.

* * *

Lindsay's eyes shot open to see Danny staring at her.

"Sorry," He apologised as Lindsay stretched in her seat. "You looked like you were having a bad dream, thought I'd wake you."

Lindsay nodded and started combing through her hair with her fingers. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost the whole flight, we're about to land," Danny replied, watching her hands. "You don't gotta do that."

Lindsay froze. "S-sorry."

"Uh, your hair, it, it looks fine," Danny mumbled.

Lindsay stopped combing her hair and dropped her hands in her lap awkwardly. She knew that things were gonna get awkward between them during the trip. It was like the perfect storyline for a romantic novel.

Hawkes squeezed past the two and sat back down in his seat just in time for the seat belt sign to flash.

Lindsay fastened her seat belt, trying to ignore the feeling that Danny was watching her. She hated when he paid attention to her at times like this because she always wanted to look her best and impress him.

After they landed, (Hawkes was even more nervous about landing than taking off) they found their bags and stood in the middle of the terminal.

"What now?" Lindsay asked as she looked around at all the people rushing past.

"Mac said that his friend Robby would meet us at the airport," Danny explained.

"So what do we do? We don't even know what he looks like," Hawkes complained.

"Ten bucks says it's the balloon guy," Danny said, pointing behind Lindsay.

They turned around to see a man in the distance holding three red balloons labelled 'Messer' 'Monroe' and 'Hawkes'.

Lindsay laughed. "Wow, that's uh, creative."

They made their way over to the man. "Hey, you must be the guys from New York, I'm Robby Malinin," He greeted.

"I'm Danny Messer," Danny greeted, receiving his balloon.

"Sheldon Hawkes."

"Lindsay Monroe, nice to meet you."

Robby nodded. "Ok guys let's get going. I've got a cab waiting out the front."

The CSI's followed Robby to the cab outside. They loaded their luggage in the boot and squeezed into the back seat, Hawkes sitting between Lindsay and Danny.

As they took off, Hawkes turned to Lindsay and began talking about Helium balloons and fibres but she wasn't listening. Lindsay was paying attention to what Danny was doing behind his back. Danny had gotten out a pen and was writting something on Hawkes' balloon. He had a mischievous grin on his face that melted Lindsay's insides.

Lindsay turned her attention back to Hawkes but jumped suddenly when Hawkes balloon popped.

Hawkes frowned. "You popped my balloon."

Danny couldn't help but smile at his childish nature. Hawkes grabbed Danny's floating balloon and dug his fingers into it, effectively bursting it.

"Hey," Danny protested. "I did it on accident, but that, that was balloon homicide with intent."

Lindsay smiled at his comment.

Danny bit his lip, thinking what to do, before settling his eyes on Lindsay's balloon.

"No," she warned, wrapping her arms around her balloon protectively. "Don't even think about it."

As Lindsay wrapped her arms tighter around her balloon, it caught on her zipper jacket and burst in her face, causing her to jump and squeal.

Danny and Hawkes burst out laughing, so Lindsay shoved Hawkes' shoulder in to Danny, holding back a smile.

The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. Lindsay kept her attention to the view outside her window and Danny was occasionally tapping his fingers to the beat on the radio.

After a while they arrived at their destination, a simple but beautiful looking house. They grabbed their bags out of the boot as Robby unlocked the front door. "Welcome to your home for the next few days."

The CSI's took in their surroundings as Robby talked them through the house. "There are three bedrooms, one with connecting bathroom, separate bathroom down the hall, small kitchen, dinning/lounge room, the last people who stayed here may have left some food in the fridge, that's about it. My number's on the fridge if you need me."

"Thanks so much," Lindsay thanked.

"That's fine, I always have people from out of town staying here so it's really no trouble. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Robby said as he went to leave.

"Tomorrow?" Asked Hawkes.

"At the convention. My lecture is 10 am. Don't be late," He said before leaving. Hawkes pulled out the brochure from his bag.

"8 am Dr. Melanie Jenkins, 10 am Dr. Robby Malinin, 12 am... we don't have to go to all of these do we?" Hawkes asked.

"Well there's four lectures a day, four days..." Lindsay stated.

"That's sixteen lectures, one and a half hours each, there is no way we're going to all of them," Danny stated.

Lindsay sighed. "We can skip one or two, but we owe it to Mac to go to most of them. Ok, I'm gonna go unpack."

On her way to her bedroom Lindsay punched Danny hard in the arm.

"Owww, what was that for?" Danny asked, grabbing his arm.

"For making me pop my balloon."


	3. Chapter 3

Once the three CSIs had unpacked and chosen their rooms (Lindsay, of course, had the room with the connecting bathroom) they met in the kitchen. Lindsay looked at her watch.

"Wow, it's five already, I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Same, I'm starving," agreed Danny.

"I'll go out and get some dinner," Hawkes volunteered.

"No," Danny quickly objected. "I'll go." He tried to avoid Lindsay's questioning gaze.

"Uh, ok," Hawkes replied. "While you're out, don't forget to get a rent-a-car for the week."

"Ok, any preference for dinner?" Danny asked the two of them.

"Which ever is closest, I'm sure as long as it's food, my stomach won't mind," Lindsay stated, grabbing her rumbling stomach.

Danny laughed lightly. "Ok, I'll see what I can find."

Danny left and shut the front door quietly behind him.

"Well that was weird, he was more eager to leave than to eat," Hawkes stated.

Lindsay sighed. "He probably just wanted to get away from me for a while."

Hawkes almost laughed. "Why would you say that?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," Lindsay dismissed the issue.

"You didn't tell Danny what happened when we were investigating Jason Bicks did you," Hawkes commented.

"It's got nothing to do with Danny, why should I tell him?" Lindsay argued.

"Because he's your friend and this has obviously affected you," Hawkes answered.

He followed her to the couch where she turned on the television.

"Really Hawkes, there's nothing to tell, I'm fine," Lindsay reasoned.

"You're having nightmares because of what he said."

"I'm having nightmares because that bastard bashed and strangled his son to death," Lindsay replied agitated. "Can we please just drop it?"

"Ok," Hawkes said apologetically, backing off the issue.

Lindsay saw the disappointed look on Hawkes' face and sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help," she squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you."

Hawkes nodded. "It's fine Linds."

* * *

Danny returned a while later to find Lindsay and Hawkes sitting lazily on the couch. The little break away gave him time to think things through. He was now determined not to let anything happen between Lindsay and himself on this trip. He would hang out with her and have fun with her but nothing else. No getting too close, no heart felt confessions, just friends.

"It's about time man," Hawkes complained.

"Hey I had to go out and get the car," Danny explained as he unpacked the bags he brought. "Hope you guys like Thai."

"Ooo," Lindsay exclaimed as she jumped up to get her food. "I love Thai."

Lindsay accepted her box from Danny and retreated back to the couch, flipping through channels.

As Hawkes accepted his food his cell phone in his bedroom began to ring so he went to get it. Danny brought over his food and stole Hawkes' seat next to Lindsay.

Danny reached his chopsticks into Lindsay's box in an attempt to steal a piece of chicken. She swatted him away playfully. "First you take my coffee, now it's my chicken Messer?"

Danny smirked. "Technically it wasn't your coffee it was mine, which you stole from me."

Hawkes walked into the room while on the phone. "Yeah Mac we're fine."

He squished next to Danny on the small couch, causing his body to press against Lindsay's.

"She's fine," Hawkes said into the phone. Lindsay guessed that Mac must have asked after her. Everyone seemed to be worried about her, but she didn't want people to make a fuss.

"Ok, bye Mac." Hawkes hung up the phone and placed it on the coffee table.

"Everything ok?" Asked Lindsay.

"Sure, Mac was just checking to make sure we were settling in alright," Hawkes answered.

A few hours later Lindsay could barely keep her eyes open let alone follow the plot to the movie. She had to fight hard to resist the urge to rest her head on Danny's shoulder.

She stood and stretched. "Ok, I'm done. I'm off to bed."

"You don't wanna stay to find out who blackmailed Stanley into killing Elena?" Hawkes asked shocked.

Lindsay smiled and shook her head. "I have no idea who any of those people are. Night guys."

"Night Montana."

"Goodnight Lindsay."

* * *

Danny stirred and rolled over. He could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. He heard the sudden drop of a metal object on the vinyl floor followed by a hissed 'Crap'.

He rubbed his eyes and brought the alarm clock on his bedside table close to his face. It read 3:16 am. The noises didn't stop so he grunted and got up.

* * *

Lindsay quietly placed the spoon she that she had dropped in the sink and filled her mug with steaming coffee, sighing. She leant against the counter, looking down into her mug.

"You do realise that the conference doesn't start til eight right?" Danny teased, his voice hoarse from sleep.

He made his way to Lindsay and sat on a stool in front of the counter. Lindsay was very conscious of what Danny was wearing, in fact it was the first thing she saw when he walked in. A white tight tank top showed off his biceps and his chest. His hair was ruffled in a way that made him look even sexier and he wore navy shorts. Lindsay glanced at the tattoo on his shoulder briefly before speaking.

"Oh gosh, did I wake you?"

"Nah," he replied. "I'm always up at three in the mornin'."

Lindsay smiled and noticed Danny checking her out briefly. She immediately felt nervous. All she was wearing as a black strap top that just covered her belly button and pajama pants.

Danny looked away. "So uh, what's going on?"

Lindsay looked down into her coffee. "Nothing I just can't sleep."

"And you figured that filling yourself with buckets of caffeine will help you sleep?" Danny asked cheekily.

"Well I don't think I'll be getting back to sleep anytime soon so I might as well start waking myself up," Lindsay explained.

Danny walked behind her, grabbed her coffee and poured it down the sink.

"Danny," Lindsay whined loudly, then covered her mouth, remembering that Hawkes was still asleep."

"I'm making you a hot chocolate," Danny stated. "And don't worry about Hawkes, he sleeps like a bear in hibernation."

Lindsay smiled at his comment.

"So what happens?" Danny asked as he prepared Lindsay's drink. It only took him a few minutes to locate the ingredients in the foreign kitchen. Lindsay look at him confused.

"In your dreams," He added. "What's so bad that it wakes you up every night?"

"It's really nothing Danny."

"In my experience, the longer you put it off, the longer it haunts you," Danny said, handing her the hot mug.

Lindsay sighed. "I just… the image of that little boy…"

Danny didn't want to push Lindsay but he knew there was something more.

"I got the feeling something happened to ya. I mean, you once said that you'd seen some pretty bad things, but this time something must've happened, with you I mean," Danny said quietly.

Lindsay took a sip of her drink and traced around the rim with her finger.

"Hawkes and I conducted the final interrogation of Jason Bicks. It was the first time I'd been in the interrogation room with just Hawkes, normally I'm with you or Mac but… you had an errand to run and Mac was also busy," Lindsay explained.

Danny nodded. It wasn't really an errand; he left work early to break up with his girlfriend Mandy. He figured that the case was practically closed and that they didn't need him anyway.

"It was…different with Hawkes, I mean it felt different. When I'm with you… or with Mac I feel completely safe, I feel like you'll protect me no matter what, It's just, I dunno, the way you make me feel," Lindsay continued, her voice just above a whisper. "Is this making any sense?"

Danny nodded.

"I guess what I'm saying is, I wanted you to be there with me. But it's nothing against Hawkes, don't get me wrong I love him but… I don't know, it just felt different. I, I was just really tired and I got a really bad vibe from Bicks. So anyway I was already a little on edge," Lindsay explained, taking another sip. Danny remained quiet.

"In the interrogation room, Bicks, he had this real scary nature about him. Hawkes did most of the talking, but, Bicks he just kept staring at me. He answered every question but his eyes never left me. When I asked him why he murdered his son he laughed," Lindsay said with disgust. "He explained that his son was an innocent little angel and that there is no thrill like letting such innocence slip through your fingers."

Lindsay paused for a second.

"During the whole investigation his eyes burned into mine. When we finished he said to me, 'Your eyes, they have the same innocence as my boy. I want to feed on your innocence.' He took a step closer to me and said, 'I know I'm going to prison, but I'll think of you while I'm gone, and when I get out, I'll keep searching until I find you'," Lindsay's voice shook as she spoke. "Now every time I close my eyes I see him staring at me with cold but lustful eyes."

Danny put his hand on top of hers on the counter. He felt terrible; he didn't know what to say.

Luckily his hand was enough for Lindsay. She let out a tired sigh.

"I know he's in prison and can't hurt me but… you must think I'm so weak. I don't want people to feel sorry for me, I want them to know I can take care of myself-"

"Hey Montana, calm down," Danny soothed. "You're a country girl, trust me no one thinks you're week. I- I'm sorry I wasn't with you in the interrogation room. I want you to know that you should feel safe with me cos there's no way in hell I'd let anyone hurt you."

Lindsay nodded, reassured. "Thanks Danny, for everything." She got up and put her mug in the sink, with just a small amount of worry, which Danny noticed.

"Hey come 'ere," Danny tugged at Lindsay's arm and pulled her into a hug. He felt her body relax against hers as he wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Ya know you're safe right? Bicks ain't getting out, but if by some chance he did, well… I'd be there to protect you."

"I know," She whispered against his chest. She pulled back. "I'm gonna go salvage some sleep," She muttered.

"G'Night Miss Monroe."

"Night Messer."


	4. Chapter 4

Danny moaned and tossed in his bed. He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed them.

He squinted at the clock, only to see a blur of red numbers. He found his glasses on the bedside table and tried again. It read 7:30 am.

"Damn it," he cursed and rolled out of bed. They would be leaving any minute for the conference.

"Hawkes, why didn't you wake me up?" Danny asked, running from his bedroom to the bathroom. The shower was turned on immediately.

"There's this great little invention called the alarm clock, perfect for guys like you," Hawkes called back.

A few minutes later Danny emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and droplets of water on his chest.

"If you're trying to impress Lindsay you should know she's not here," Hawkes stated.

"What did you mean before, when you said guys like me?" Danny asked as he ruffled his hair.

"Heavy sleepers like you should be more organized. Set your alarm and put a mouse trap over the snooze button."

Danny laughed. "You gotta be kidding me. Guys like me? Hawkes you sleep like a brick of cement. Lindsay and I were up late last night in the kitchen and you just snored ya head off."

Hawkes' eyes went wide. "You were doing what in the kitchen?"

"We were just talking. She had another nightmare about Jason Bicks, she told me what happened," Danny explained. "So uh, where is she?"

"Getting breakfast. You think it helped?"

"Huh?"

"Talking. Do you think it helped her sleep? She didn't mention anything this morning," Hawkes commented, sitting down on the couch.

"All I know is she did not get up again. The reason I know this? I couldn't get back to sleep, I kept thinking bout what she said," Danny confessed.

"What did she say?"

"That I'm her protector and that she's glad I look out for her."

Hawkes smiled. "Sounds like you two had a very meaningful conversation."

"Yeah, it was just like in the movies, cept the elephant snoring in the background kinda killed the mood," Danny mocked.

"You couldn't be any more in love with her if you tried," Hawkes teased.

"Shut up," Danny's accent drawled.

The two heard the front door open and shut on Lindsay's arrival. She walked into the room and stopped in her tracks, staring at Danny.

"Danny," She mumbled, staring at his naked and much shaped chest. Danny seemed oblivious to her staring.

"Ok, ok, I'm hurrying, we won't be late I promise," He said as he ducked into his room.

"Uh, I bought hot cakes with caramel sauce," Lindsay called out. "As a 'thank you' for last night."

Danny came out moments later as he pulled down a gray sweater over his chest. He sat at the small table where Hawkes and Lindsay were finishing their breakfast. Lindsay passed him his pancakes with a knife and fork.

"Thanks."

"So today," Hawkes said with his mouth half full. "We have four lectures right?"

"Yes... uh," Lindsay replied as she looked at the brochure confused.

"No."

"No?"

"No," Lindsay repeated. "There are six…"

"Six? So we're spose to be going to 24 lectures in 4 days?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Ok," Lindsay said as she absorbed the information in the pamphlet. "So the lectures are one and a half hours each, we have a lecture at 8, then half an hour break, then there's two lectures showing at 10, then an hour break for lunch, then a lecture at 12:30, then half an hour break, and then a final two lectures at 2:30. The convention goes through Tuesday to Friday. On Friday night there's a party to wrap up the week." Lindsay took a deep breath.

"That's a lot more complicated than I thought," Hawkes stated.

"It's ok, we just have to be organized. We just need to chose which lectures we are going to when there are doubles," Lindsay added. "It takes 20 minutes to get there and it's now… 7:44."

"So by your watch we should be leaving in minus 4 minutes?" Hawkes asked.

"Yes."

The three quickly grabbed their things and left.

"I shotgun driver," Danny called.

"I shotgun passenger," Lindsay called.

"Hey," Hawkes protested. "Why can't I drive?"

"Cos I've got the keys," Danny said as he got in.

"Lindsay please don't make me sit in the back by myself," Hawkes whined.

"Hey I bought you breakfast," Lindsay replied as she buckled herself in, briefly remembering the trouble she had on the plane.

"It wasn't for me it was for Danny," Hawkes muttered under his breath.

During the drive Lindsay and Hawkes were relatively quiet so it gave Danny a chance to reflect on his thoughts of last night. He was glad that he helped Lindsay sleep but he honestly couldn't keep his mind off of her for the rest of the night. She wanted his help, and he wanted to help. The way he saw it, they needed each other.

He looked at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. She caught him, and in the split-second he saw her smile at him. He loved they feeling he got in his stomach when she smiled at him and he loved being in her presence.

Danny figured his plan to stay away from Lindsay and not get too close was stupid; after all, he wanted the exact opposite. But he also didn't want to get hurt. He wasn't sure how she felt and he was too scared to risk his feelings so he decided that if she opened up to him on the trip, he wouldn't reject her, but he was not going to make the first move.

They arrived at the building where the lectures were being held 20 minutes later.

"Wow," Lindsay exclaimed, noticing all the people. "I didn't realize it'd be so packed."

"Ok Linds, where are we?" Hawkes asked.

Lindsay got out her brochure. "We're down this hall to the left."

Danny and Hawkes followed her as she read. "First up is Dr. Melanie Jenkins on various factors affecting post-mortem internal organs."

The three walked into the room just after the lecturer had begun and snuck into three seats near the back.

The rest of the day the three pretty much kept their minds on what they were listening to. They had a friendly chat and break at lunch and then the lectures continued.

By the end of the day Hawkes, Lindsay and Danny were pretty tired of listening. Lindsay sat in the back with Hawkes while Danny drove again.

"Wow, I sure didn't drink enough coffee for that last lecture," Danny stated with a yawn.

"Well, at least some of us had the courtesy to stay awake and not fall asleep on the person next to them," Hawkes said with a glare.

Lindsay giggled. "So that's why you had your head on Hawkes' shoulder Messer? And here I was thinking you were hitting on him."

Hawkes and Lindsay both laughed at Danny's expense.

"Hey Danny," Lindsay said when she finished laughing. "We should stop at a grocery store to pick up some stuff while we're staying at the house.

Danny nodded and drove to the closest super-market.

* * *

They entered the shop and picked up a basket. "So what do we need?" Hawkes asked.

"Bread, cereal, milk…" Lindsay began to list.

"Good tasting coffee," Danny added. "That instant crap at the house tastes like burnt dirt."

Hawkes went down the aisle where the coffee was while Lindsay and Danny went down the cereal aisle. "Cheerios?" Danny asked, picking up the box. Lindsay laughed.

"Danny I haven't had Cheerios since I was a kid," Lindsay replied as she placed items in her basket.

Danny smirked. "Little Lindsay, now that's something I can't imagine. Strolling around her little farm without a care in the world."

"Are you kidding? It's hard work living on a farm. I had to get up early every morning to feed the animals," Lindsay explained.

"You miss the country?" Danny asked as they strolled along.

"I live here now, there's nothing to miss," Lindsay said seriously.

"Yeah but still, it's always gonna be a part of you. You're a natural country girl deep down and no matter where you go it'll never change."

"Well maybe you can't forget the past but you can sure as hell run as far away from it as possible," Lindsay muttered.

Danny could tell he hit a nerve but he was still curious.

"You uh, you don't like talking bout you past no?" Danny asked.

Lindsay smiled bitterly. "Trust me Danny, you don't wanna know about my past."

Danny nodded. "Bad memories?"

"The worst."

Lindsay, wanting to get off the topic of her past, looked around for something to put in her basket. That's when she noticed she was in the personal hygiene aisle… with Danny.

Danny looked around. Endless packets of tampons and sanitary pads stared back at him.

He swallowed slowly. _'Ok, no big deal,'_ He told himself. _'We just strolled into the wrong aisle. Or did we?'_

It occurred to Danny that maybe Lindsay had intended to come to this aisle. He was getting more nervous by the minute, so he decided he would just act casual.

"You need any of these," Danny asked in a nonchalant voice. Lindsay looked at him with horror. Danny instantly realized it was a bad idea. He had just asked his work colleague whom he was trying to impress if she needed any tampons. To make it worst, when he had asked the question he naturally grabbed the closest thing to him and shoved it in her face.

"Sorry… it's just… we're here and I'm not, ya know, not sure what to do…" Danny rambled.

Danny was horrified to see that he was still gesturing with a large packet of pads. Upon closer inspection he noticed they were heavy- overnight pads, with large pictures on the front.

Danny looked at the packet, his face screwed into a questioning/horrified look. "Ohh, that's…"

Lindsay could see his obvious discomfort and stifled a smile. She took the pack out of Danny's hands and placed it back on the shelf. "I think we're done shopping."

Danny remained quiet and followed her to the checkout where they met with Hawkes.

"Did you get everything you needed?" He asked.

Lindsay almost burst out laughing. She coughed and cleared her throat. "Sure."

When they reached the car, Danny let Hawkes drive and sat in the front with him. A few minutes into the drive Lindsay suddenly burst out onto uncontrollable laughter. She held her stomach as she went into fits.

Hawkes was confused. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

In the passenger seat Danny silently smiled to himself. He must've looked like a total idiot in the shop. He'd be laughing himself if he wasn't so embarrassed. He turned his neck to see Lindsay, who had calmed down a bit. He never heard her laugh like that, but he decided quickly that he liked it. The moment Lindsay saw his face she cracked up again.

Danny shook his head and laughed lightly, turning to see a lost-looking Hawkes.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for all your reviews, sorry for making you wait on this chapter.

* * *

Danny awoke to a cold Wednesday morning. He curled up into a ball to keep himself warm, but it hardly made a difference. He decided he'd brave the cold and have a nice hot shower. He threw off the covers and ran into the bathroom. 

The door was locked. Danny banged on the door. "Hurry up Hawkes, I'm freezing my ass off out here!"

"Don't worry," Hawkes called. "I'll only be in here for about another 40 minutes."

Danny banged his fist on the door again. He sighed and looked down the hall towards Lindsay's bedroom.

He opened the door quietly and tiptoed past her bed to her bathroom. She'd kill him if she woke up and found he'd snuck into her bathroom, so he'd just have to make sure he didn't wake her up.

He tried not to look at Lindsay's peaceful sleeping body as he tiptoed. When he reached the bathroom he slowly shut the door behind him. He was amazed by what he saw. Her bathroom was much bigger than his, and contained a heated tub as well as a shower. Danny rubbed his hands together and turned on the water in the tub. There was a yellow curtain in front of the tub, which he closed.

* * *

Lindsay woke up to the sound of running water. It stopped after a couple of minutes and then all she could hear was the rain outside. She figured Hawkes or Danny had just finished in the shower.

Lindsay got out of bed slowly and went to her bathroom to have a shower. She didn't seem to notice that the tub curtain was drawn and Danny didn't seem to notice that someone had entered the room.

When Lindsay turned on the shower Danny snapped out of his daydream and realized he was no longer alone.

"Crap," Lindsay cursed loudly as the freezing water hit her body.

"Hey," Danny called out, wondering what happened.

"Danny?" Lindsay shrieked. She wrapped a towel around her and pulled back the tub curtain. Danny covered himself quickly. "A little privacy Montana?"

"Privacy? Danny you are aware that you're in _my_ bathroom," Lindsay said agitated.

"Well Hawkes was in the other shower for like an hour so I thought…"

"Great, now there's no hot water."

Lindsay looked at the heated tub. "I'm getting in."

"Uh, Linds… I don't think-"

"Get out, out of my tub," Lindsay ordered.

"Um, ya mind turnin' round first."

Lindsay turned around smiling. She grabbed a towel and held it behind her.

"Damn it's freezing," Danny complained. He wrapped the towel around his waist and left.

* * *

After a quick breakfast they were just about ready to leave. Lindsay stayed behind to lock the front door while Danny and Hawkes ran off in the rain to the car.

Lindsay pulled the door shut and reached into her bag for the keys. Luckily she was sheltered from the rain by the verandah. She rumbled through her bag, soon realizing she had left the keys on the counter inside. She turned the handle to go in, horrified to see it was locked.

She looked into the rain and saw Hawkes and Danny jogging back to her, wet from the rain.

"I left the car keys inside," Danny said apologetically.

Lindsay bit her lip. "I locked us out."

Danny's face fell. "We're locked out, in the rain, with no car keys?"

"It's ok, we just need to find a way back in the house. Maybe a window's open or something," Lindsay suggested.

"Ok, question is, who's gonna go out in the rain n' run round looking for open windows?" Danny asked.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Lindsay said to Danny, holding out her hand.

"Ok, 1,2,3."

Danny lost.

"Hawkes you and me. 1,2,3."

This time Danny won. "Run like the wind Hawkes."

"This is wrong, you can't rock off with three people it doesn't work," Hawkes protested.

"Hey man the longer you sit and complain, the colder it's gonna get."

Hawkes sighed and ran out into the rain.

"You know this is the second time this morning I've seen you all wet Messer," Lindsay teased.

Danny smirked. "Yeah and I'm freezing my ass off here."

Lindsay smiled. "I like the rain," she commented.

"Sure, rains ok, as long as I'm not in it."

Lindsay tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm uh, I'm having fun on this trip, with you and Hawkes."

"Me too. I feel like we've all gotten to know each other better, and it's only day two."

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah, after going shopping with you yesterday I've definitely learned more about you."

Danny laughed lightly and Hawkes returned.

"None of the windows would budge," He huffed. Danny and Hawkes both took off their wet jackets.

"So now what?" Lindsay asked. "I mean, is there a spare key around here somewhere?"

Danny looked around at the many pot plants cluttering the patio. "If there is I'm sure it's in one of these pots."

"There's like 30 of them," Lindsay complained. "And half of them are dead."

"We could ring Robby," Danny suggested.

"His number's on the fridge," Lindsay replied.

Danny sighed. "Ok, what if we ring Mac, ask him for Robby's number, ring Robby, and ask him how we can get in."

"It's worth a shot," Hawkes muttered.

Danny got out his phone and rang Mac's cell. He smiled into the phone. "Either Mac developed a feminine voice or someone's hijacked his phone. Stella? What's up?"

He was silent for a minute then laughed. "Now how could we not miss someone as beautiful as you."

Lindsay smirked. Danny, always the flirt. She was fine with Danny and Stella flirting because she knew it was purely platonic.

"Listen, I gotta talk to Mac." Danny paused. "No. No Stella."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm putting you on speaker phone, happy?"

"Yes." Stella's voice came through. "Hey guys."

"Hey Stella," Lindsay called.

"Hi."

"What's that sound?" Stella asked.

"That would be the pounding rain we're stuck in. Where's Mac?"

"He's probably off looking for his phone somewhere. I'm in his office though, what do you need?"

"Can you see if you can find a phone number for Robby Malinin?"

There was ruffling around in the background before Stella replied moments later.

"I think I got it, there's a number and an address." Stella gave them the number.

"Thanks Stella."

"Bye. Lindsay, take care of my boys."

"I will, bye Stella."

"See ya."

Hawkes rang the number provided by Stella. The call ended quickly. "Ok, Robby's at the conference but he said we can get a spare key from his friend who lives not too far from here."

"I am not walking out in that rain," Danny protested.

"I'll take a cab, you guys wanna come or…?"

"We'll stay here," Danny replied quickly. Lindsay smiled nervously.

Hawkes called a cab and it arrived minutes later, leaving Lindsay and Danny alone.

Lindsay stepped forward and leant against the wooden rail, inches from the pouring rain.

After a while she turned around to face Danny.

"Hey Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

Danny was surprised by the question. He paused for a minute, thinking, as Lindsay turned back around to stare at the rain.

"Um… I'm not sure. Maybe when I was a teenager," Danny replied as he stood next to her and leant on the rail.

"You're not sure?" Lindsay asked.

Danny shrugged. "Sure, I've been in love. Why?"

"You just, you don't seem like the kind of guy that falls in love. You seem like a…"

"Player?"

Lindsay smiled softly. "I was gonna say heartbreaker."

Danny sighed. "I know it may seem like that, and… I know it'd be hard to trust someone like me," Danny's voice was soft. "But sometimes you gotta take risks, and sometimes the risks are worth it."

"And then there are times when it blows up in your face," Lindsay added. She sighed and looked into the rain. "I don't wanna fall in love."

Danny bit his lip. "Ya know, it's not all heartbreak and sadness Montana. You can't just go around hoping not to fall in love. True love is just spose to happen… I know you're scared of getting hurt again but… you just gotta let love in Linds."

Lindsay smiled. "That's just the name of a song."

"It's true."

The two stood in silence.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked moments later, her voice just above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

She didn't look at his face, just out into the rain. It took her moments to speak but when she did it was in a whisper. "I love the way you say my name."

Danny smirked. "You mean Lindsay?"

She nodded.

Just as Danny and Lindsay were about to continue their conversation, Hawkes returned in a cab. Danny stepped back to put some distance between Lindsay and him. Hawkes ran through the rain towards them.

"Got the keys," He puffed.

They unlocked the door and Lindsay found the key's while Danny and Hawkes changed into drier clothes.

"Something tells me we're not gonna make it to the first lecture, or the second one for that matter," Hawkes stated.

In the car, Lindsay sat in the back by herself. She couldn't believe how close she had come to telling Danny how she felt.

Danny was having thoughts about the exact same conversation in the front. He was a bit confused. Lindsay had told him that she loved when he said her name, but he didn't know what to make of that. After all, it could have meant nothing, but then again it could have meant everything.

When they arrived at the conference, everyone was breaking for lunch.

There was a cafeteria in the building so the three ate in there.

Lindsay and Danny remained strangely quiet, which didn't go unnoticed by Hawkes.

"So… which lecture do you wanna go to at the end of the day? There's one about numerous ways to lift prints off difficult surfaces and another on the elements of reconstruction," Hawkes commented.

Danny didn't look up from his food. "Whichever man."

Hawkes looked to Lindsay, who shrugged. "I don't mind."

Hawkes let out a sigh. "Ok guys, what's going on between you two?"

Danny and Lindsay looked up at each other for the first time since their talk.

"Lindsay?" Called a voice from behind them. "Lindsay Monroe?"

Lindsay swiveled around. A big grin broke on her face when she saw who was calling her name.

"Oh my God! Billy!" She squealed, running up and hugging him. He was well built and slightly tanned.

Danny and Hawkes watched from their seats as Billy gave Lindsay a long kiss on the cheek as she gripped his arms tightly.


	6. Chapter 6

Danny wanted to turn from what he was seeing but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. Lindsay let go of her friend and turned back to the table.

"Guys this is my friend Billy, we grew up together in Montana. Billy these are my co-workers, Danny Messer and Sheldon Hawkes," Lindsay introduced.

Danny faked a smile. "Hey."

Billy sat down at their table. "Gosh Lin, it's been way too long," He muttered, squeezing her hand.

Lindsay blushed at the use of her nickname. "Tell me about it. How's Elise?"

Danny tried to ignore their conversation and the glow on Lindsay's face. He felt crushed.

When the next lecture was about to begin Danny stood. "We should get going guys." He only looked at Hawkes.

Lindsay looked up. "Ok sure."

Danny, Hawkes, Lindsay and Billy went to the room where the lecture was held together. Billy, of course, sat next to Lindsay, and Hawkes sat in between Lindsay and Danny.

Danny wasn't listening to anything the lecturer was saying. All he could do was sit and think about Lindsay and her 'guy'. Hawkes must've noticed Danny's negative energy because he kept sending confused glances his way.

When the lecture was over the four went out to get some coffee.

"So," Danny asked, after keeping quiet for most of the break. "Were you two high-school sweethearts or something?"

Lindsay smiled and looked at Billy. "No, not exactly."

"Yeah, she was way outta my league," Billy replied smiling.

Soon enough the next and final lecture of the day was about to begin. Lindsay and Billy decided to sit in on a different lecture to Danny and Hawkes. Danny was disappointed but it meant he could talk openly with Hawkes about Billy and Lindsay.

Hawkes took a seat next to a beautiful dark haired woman. She smiled friendly at him, which Hawkes returned.

"I just don't get what she sees in him."

"Danny-"

"And did you see the way she just ran up and hugged him?"

"Danny-"

"Of course they were high-school sweethearts, why wouldn't they be."

"Danny," Hawkes hissed. "They're friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. They're just catching up."

Danny sighed.

"You always give your friends relationship advice?" Asked the woman next to Hawkes. He smiled.

"I do what I can. I'm Sheldon Hawkes."

The woman shook his outstretched hand. "Veronica Holt."

"I mean, I don't even care," Danny continued to himself. "I got nothing against the guy, I just think it might've been a bit up himself to just stroll into the cafeteria and sweep her off her feet."

* * *

At the end of the day Danny and Hawkes waited in the car while Lindsay said goodbye to Billy. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She slid into the back next to Hawkes, and Danny began driving.

"Good day?" Hawkes asked, noticing Lindsay's glow.

She nodded grinning. "It's so good to see Billy. Living in New York I always feel a little lost and lonely. Seeing Billy for the first time in ages reminds me that there's someone out there who cares about me. He was always there for me."

Danny cringed inwardly at Lindsay's statement.

"Hey, we care about you," Hawkes replied. "Don't we Danny."

Danny didn't really want to say anything but he didn't want to hurt Lindsay's feelings.

"Sure do," He replied.

* * *

The rest of the evening was quiet. They had a quick dinner and watched a movie on TV. Danny left halfway through, complaining he was tired.

"Is he ok?" Lindsay asked Hawkes once Danny had left.

Hawkes shrugged. "Sure, he's just tired."

* * *

The next morning Lindsay noticed that Danny's mood hadn't changed. He wasn't flirting with her anymore and she wondered whether it had something to do with their talk in the rain yesterday. Danny seemed to ignore her all morning.

In the car she managed to sit next to Danny in the back. While Hawkes drove she tried to make conversation with Danny.

"The lecture you went to yesterday afternoon, was it good?"

Danny shrugged and looked out the window. "It was ok."

Lindsay sighed quietly. She felt that he was mad at her but she had no idea why. Hawkes had the radio on pretty loud in the front so Lindsay figured if she asked Danny quietly Hawkes wouldn't even hear them.

"Are you mad at me Danny?" She asked quietly. He still didn't look at her.

"Danny." She said a little desperately.

"I'm not mad at you okay Lindsay," Danny said harshly. She was taken aback by his tone, a tone he never used with her. A tone he only used when he was really angry.

"Sorry," he apologized immediately. "Didn't mean to snap Montana."

"It's ok," Lindsay replied, unsure.

When they got to the convention they met up with Billy almost instantly. They still had two full days of lectures before they were due to return back to New York. Lindsay greeted Billy with a smile and quick hug.

Lindsay was so glad to see Billy. He was one of the good things from her past. Having a friend from the country reassured her and made her feel less lonely about living alone in New York.

They entered the room minutes before the lecture. Lindsay made an effort to sit next to Danny, but he didn't say a word to her.

When she asked him questions, he replied with short, quick answers. Lindsay sighed inwardly and sunk into her chair. She couldn't understand why Danny was acting like this.

She looked to Hawkes. He was sitting next to a pretty dark haired girl. They were having a conversation and he seemed to be making her giggle. Lindsay figured she'd leave Danny alone for the day and talk to him about it that night.

During the day, Danny noticed that Lindsay had given up on talking to him, which was a relief because he really didn't want to talk to anyone.

Danny spent the rest of the day miserable, just waiting to get back to New York and be his normal self. Back in New York there was no Billy, no conference, and no living close with Lindsay, making an effort to avoid her.

At the end of the day Hawkes decided to go out and buy takeaway down the street for dinner, leaving Lindsay and Danny alone in the house. Lindsay jumped at the opportunity straight away.

"Ok Danny," Lindsay ordered. "Tell me what's going on here."

Danny shrugged. "Nothing."

"That's bull Danny. I feel like… when we talked yesterday, I felt like we were taking a step forward, like we were acknowledging whatever this thing between us is… and now it's like we've taken three steps backwards." Desperation was evident in Lindsay's voice, and it killed Danny.

Danny's heart leapt when his cell began ringing. Saved by the bell. He looked at the caller ID, it was his ex- girlfriend.

"I gotta take this."

Lindsay took his phone out of his hands and cancelled the call.

"Hey-"

"Danny. Are you acting like this because you have feelings for me and are confused? Or you don't have feelings for me? Or-"

There was a knock at the door which Lindsay ignored. She looked at Danny with her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer. Danny remained quiet.

"I…I need to know what you want Danny," She pleaded.

Danny opened and closed his mouth, stuck on what to say. "I… I don't think…"

The knocking at the door continued. Danny went to answer it.

"Danny don't walk away from me."

Danny opened the door to see Billy smiling at him. "Hey there Danny."

Lindsay sighed. "Billy this isn't the best time."

"Course it is," Danny replied. "Come in."

Billy walked in, followed by Hawkes.

"Billy's staying for dinner," Danny announced.

Hawkes smiled. "Lucky I bought extra."

* * *

During the meal Billy brought up stories about when Lindsay was young and made jokes about her. Lindsay smiled politely but she had her mind on Danny.

She found it hard to believe that he would act this way towards her if he had feelings for her. Danny was a player, he was well known for it. Lindsay had been given warnings about working with him. Now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense. Danny didn't want to settle down and fall in love, he wanted to go out and have fun picking up girls at the club to go home and sleep with.

Lindsay figured she just wasn't his type. She wanted a relationship with Danny, she wanted to be close to Danny. But Danny was a flirt, he couldn't help himself. He probably couldn't stay with the same girl for more than a week, and this broke Lindsay's heart.


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, you all deserve this. FINALLY

* * *

Lindsay tossed and turned all night. The conversation she had with Danny replayed in her head over and over. It wasn't really a conversation. It was really Lindsay begging Danny to talk to her and Danny ignoring her. Lindsay told herself not to care, that Danny didn't matter to her.

At one point during the night she had gotten so frustrated that she got up out of bed and stood in Danny's doorway, watching him sleep and trying to read his mind.

She quietly tiptoed closer to his bed. She knelt down so she was face to face with Danny. She'd have no excuse if he woke up now.

Lindsay gingerly stroked Danny's cheek with her hand. He stirred slightly.

"Lindsay," He murmured ever so quietly.

At first Lindsay thought she had been caught out, but then realized Danny was just dreaming. She found it funny that he couldn't acknowledge any feelings between them yet she literally was the woman of his dreams.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" She whispered. Lindsay brushed Danny's cheek a second time before retreating to her room.

* * *

Danny emerged from his room, dressed and showered the next morning, to find Lindsay and Hawkes talking at the table.

"Today's our last day of lectures," Lindsay reminded them. "Our plane leaves tomorrow at 9:40 am."

Danny nodded as he prepared his cereal. "So what's with this party thing tonight?"

"At 6:30 there's a semi-formal party. I didn't bring any dresses but there's this place to rent clothes right down the street from where the conference is held," Lindsay explained. "I swear the only reason there's a party is so the shop gets lots of business from the out-of-towners."

Hawkes smiled. "So… we going?"

Danny screwed up his face. "Not my kind of thing. You and Montana can go though, I'll stay here tonight."

Lindsay noticed he had returned to calling her Montana instead of Lindsay. At least he was acknowledging her again.

Lindsay drove to the conference while the boys sat in the back. Danny's cell began to ring. He screwed up his face, noticing it was his ex girlfriend again.

"You gonna answer that?" Hawkes asked.

"Nah, not important," Danny replied, turning off his phone.

Lindsay felt like making a comment about how people's feelings get hurt when someone they care about snubs them off, but she decided to keep the peace.

For most of the day Hawkes broke away from the group and stuck by Veronica, trying to convince her to let him take her to the party. This left Danny, Lindsay and Billy to make conversation alone.

Danny noticed that Billy kept glancing at him. Danny thought he was sending him messages to stay away from his girl.

"I think I'm gonna leave you two alone, let you catch up some more," Danny said as they broke for lunch.

"Danny you don't have to-" Lindsay began to protest but was cut off by Danny.

"It's fine. We gotta get back tomorrow so today's your last day together."

Lindsay moaned as Danny walked away.

He found Hawkes on the other side of the cafeteria with Veronica.

"Hey," Danny greeted. "Listen man I think I'm gonna take off. I'm kinda getting sick of this whole lecture thing."

"Oh, do you want me to come with you," Hawkes asked, though it was clear from his facial expression that he really didn't want to.

"Nah it's cool. I'll take a cab. See you later."

Lindsay and Billy met up with Hawkes at the start of the next lecture.

"Hawkes, where's Danny?" Lindsay asked curiously.

"He went back to the house."

"What? Why?" Lindsay asked.

"He just needed a break from all the lectures," Hawkes replied.

"Well, I should go check to see if he's okay," Lindsay said, worry evident in her voice.

"He's fine Linds, he just needs some space," Hawkes said, knowing all too well that Danny leaving had more to do with his jealousy over Lindsay than the lectures. Hawkes knew it would be best to clear things up between the two but didn't really want to get involved between Lindsay and Danny.

Lindsay spent the last two lectures wondering what Danny was doing.

"Hey," Billy whispered next to her. "Come to the party with me?"

"I dunno Billy."

"C'mon Lin. I wanna say goodbye to you properly before I go back to Montana."

Lindsay bit her lip. "I'll think about it."

* * *

When Danny got back to the house he wasn't sure what to do. He turned on the TV but nothing good was on so he decided he'd go out somewhere.

* * *

Lindsay had insisted Hawkes take her to the dress shop so she could borrow something pretty to wear to the party. She had taken ages to pick something so by the time they got home it was already 5.

"Danny?" Lindsay called as they entered. No reply.

"Honey we're home," Hawkes tried. Still no reply. He noticed something on the counter.

"It's a note. Gone out for a drink, be back soon. D," Hawkes read.

"Maybe we shouldn't go out tonight," Lindsay suggested to Hawkes. "Maybe we should stay here and wait for Danny."

"Danny's a big boy Lindsay. Plus, I already promised Veronica I'd be there."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at Hawkes' childish nature.

* * *

Danny took a sip of his beer and looked around the bar. There was a pretty but slightly desperate woman checking him out. He decided to go talk to her.

* * *

"Wow Lin, you look gorgeous as always," Billy complemented, pulling Lindsay's hand through the people. Lindsay smiled politely.

"Uh oh, what's wrong?" Billy asked.

Lindsay frowned. "What? Nothing."

"You fake smiled. That was definitely a Lindsay Monroe fake smile. Either I just made the worst joke ever or something's bugging you."

Lindsay fiddled with her necklace. "It's just Danny. I think he's mad at me but… you know what? It doesn't matter," Lindsay said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm here with you and I'm happy to be here."

"You're sure?"

Lindsay nodded.

"Ok, wait here, I'll go get us some drinks."

* * *

"So you're from New York?" Cassie asked. Danny nodded.

"I go there sometimes, my brother lives there."

Danny took another sip of his beer, not really interested in what the woman was saying.

"So listen, you wanna get outta here, go back to my place?" Cassie asked, stroking his leg.

He cleared his throat. "I don't think so."

"And why not?"

Danny let out a sigh. "I… I'm not looking for anything here. I just came here to get my mind off of this girl."

Cassie removed her hand from his leg, disappointed. "Right, should've known there was someone else. So you wanna go have sex now?"

"What?"

"I didn't say I want a relationship Danny. Plus, if hot sex won't make you forget about her nothing else will."

Cassie smiled.

"Ya know what?" Danny said, pulling cash out of his wallet and throwing it on the bar. "Thanks for the invitation but I'm really not interested."

* * *

"Hey Linds," Hawkes greeted as he approached her.

"Hawkes have you gotten any calls from Danny?" Lindsay asked agitated.

"Lindsay don't worry, he's really fine. I think you calling will only make things worse."

"What why?"

"Because…"

"Because what? Hawkes if you now what's wrong with Danny-"

"Lindsay I really don't wanna get involved in this."

"Please, just tell me why he's acting like this," Lindsay begged.

"Fine. Danny doesn't want to talk to you because he's mad at you. He's mad at you because he's jealous of Billy. He's jealous of Billy because he has feelings for you."

Lindsay paused, shocked by Hawkes honesty. "He's jealous?"

Hawkes sighed. "Look Lindsay I-"

"He's gay!"

"Lindsay I think that's a little harsh and kinda immature."

Lindsay shook her head. "Not Danny, Billy. Billy's gay."

"Ohhhh, right." Hawkes replied.

"Why doesn't he just tell me how he feels?" Lindsay asked.

"This is Danny Messer. He never fell hard for a girl until you came along. He's too proud to admit how much you mean to him," Hawkes explained softly.

Lindsay looked up at Hawkes. "I gotta go talk to him."

She ran to find Billy before Hawkes could reply.

"Billy."

"Hold on girl, your drink's coming."

"Billy I gotta go."

Billy frowned. "Why?"

"You were right, I'm not fine. I need to go sort things out with Danny," Lindsay explained.

Billy nodded. "I can tell you're really into him. Just… be careful okay Lin. I don't wanna see you get hurt again."

"Danny's nothing like that, he would never do anything to hurt me."

Billy smiled. "I know."

Lindsay grinned and hugged Billy. "I'm gonna miss you. If you're ever in New York look me up yeah? And don't forget you can call me whenever."

Billy nodded and kissed her forehead. "Love ya Lin."

"Love ya Billy. Ok, I gotta go."

* * *

Danny sat down in front of the couch with his fried rice. Food and TV, great for people who are feeling down.

Danny heard a knock at the door and got up to answer it. The door swung open and he was surprised to see Lindsay, all dressed up.

"You knocked?" Danny asked as he went back to the couch.

"I wanted to make sure you were home. We need to talk, and this time you're not avoiding it," She demanded.

"Fine Lindsay. You wanna talk? Talk," Danny retorted.

"What is your problem with me Danny?"

Hawkes had already told her but she needed to hear it from him.

"Who says I got a problem with you Montana?"

"You won't talk to me, you keep running away from me. You don't wanna be alone with me?"

Danny looked up at her solemnly. "It ain't like that."

He didn't say anything more.

"What changed between us Danny? We were moving forward, we were…Do you even have feelings for me?" Lindsay's voice was quiet and shaky, scared of what Danny's answer would be.

"You know I do Montana. I'm... I'm sorry I've been acting distant. You're right, we were moving forward. And I thought if there's ever gonna be a chance between us it's now. But then Billy came and… I guess I wanted to spend time with you and was mad at Billy for taking it away," Danny admitted. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"Is that what made you angry? You thought I had feelings for him?"

"Gosh Lindsay I don't know anymore," Danny said, fed up.

"I'm really close to Billy, in fact he's my best friend and always will be. But there's absolutely no chemistry between us," Lindsay explained.

"How can you be that close to a guy and not have chemistry?" Danny asked.

"Maybe if he was gay." He looked up. "C'mon Danny, as if you couldn't tell. He was checking you out the whole time."

Danny was stunned. "He's gay?"

Lindsay sat on the couch close to Danny.

"It doesn't even matter. Even if he were straight it wouldn't matter. Danny I love what we have in New York, the flirting, the touching… But I want more, I need more."

It sent Danny over the edge. He lifted up his glasses and crushed his lips into hers. She responded immediately, lapping her tongue against his. The heat between them was incredible.

Danny untangled his hands from Lindsay's hair and moved them to her waist. Lindsay grabbed Danny's top and pulled him on top of her on the couch. Lindsay began unbuttoning his shirt.

Lindsay and Danny jumped apart at a sound outside. Danny squinted out.

"Damn, Hawkes is back early," Danny muttered. He sat back off Lindsay and sighed. Lindsay held out her hand for Danny to help her up.

"Okay, fun's over."

He pulled her towards him and kissed her passionately. She moaned into him.

"I guess I'll go take this dress off," Lindsay said, raising her eyebrows suggestively, causing Danny to smirk.

He had just finished buttoning up his shirt when Hawkes walked in.

"Where's Lindsay?" He asked.

"Getting changed. What're you doing home so early?"

"Veronica kinda stood me up, no big deal."

Danny winced. "Sorry man."

Hawkes sat down. "So did you sort things out with Lindsay?"

Danny smiled mischievously.

Hawkes frowned. "Ya know what, I don't wanna know."

* * *

Still more to come, hope you enjoyed that chapter! 


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry for the hiatus. I made the chapter a little longer to make up for it.

* * *

Lindsay returned from her room minutes later in black pants and a shirt. She stopped by the fridge and grabbed three beers. She sat next to Danny and Hawkes on the couch and passed them their beers. 

"Ya know, I'm kinda starting to miss my small apartment back in New York," Lindsay stated.

"And the privacy," Danny added, smirking at Lindsay.

"Here's to the three of us then. Living together for three whole days and not murdering each other," Hawkes toasted, raising his beer bottle.

"Cheers."

"Cheers."

* * *

Lindsay's eyes shot open at the sound of someone moving around in her bedroom. She sat up and peered into the darkness, glancing at a dark figure approaching her bed. As she was about to scream she felt a hand cover her mouth. 

"Don't go screaming on me Montana," Danny whispered huskily into her ear. He quickly replaced his hand with his lips and lay Lindsay onto the bed. She giggled into his mouth.

"Danny," She murmured. "We can't… Hawkes...and…too fast... "

Danny smiled and kissed her again. "I know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, with us I mean. Did you mean to kiss me or was it just a heat of the moment thing?"

Lindsay leant up and kissed him chastely. "I meant it."

Danny nodded and Lindsay closed her eyes briefly. She opened them and sighed contently. Right now she was happier than ever, and she never wanted it to end.

"Ya don't gotta worry about me not treating you right," Danny said out of the blue. "I'll always protect you and I promise I'll never, ever hurt you."

The honesty and sincerity in Danny's blue eyes made Lindsay's heart melt. She was falling head over heels for Danny Messer.

"I'm not worried, just tired," Lindsay commented, running her hand up and down Danny's arm. Danny nodded.

"I should get back to my own bed. We've got an early flight tomorrow."

Lindsay smiled and sat up with Danny to kiss him.

"Night Danny."

"G'Night Monroe."

* * *

The next morning the three CSI's were packing everything up and tidying the house. Suitcases were piled in front of the door and they were just about ready to leave. 

"We good to go?" Lindsay asked.

"I think so," Hawkes replied.

Danny began to load the bags into the car. "Robby said he'll pick up the car and the keys at the airport. But we gotta remember to drop off that dress on the way."

Lindsay walked out to the car to checkout Danny as he loaded the bags. His muscles flexed under his shirt.

"I'm driving," He called. He looked up and caught her staring. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're checking me out Monroe."

Lindsay blushed slightly, but then hid it with a smirk.

"I was just wondering how you were gonna drive without the car keys."

Danny patted down his pockets and looked up to see Lindsay dangling the keys in front of his face. _'Damn, how'd she get those?'_ Danny wondered. He took a step towards her.

"Give me the keys Lindsay," He ordered playfully.

Danny took a step closer and she held the keys out behind her.

"You're not getting anything unless you ask politely."

Danny smirked. He moved his body closer to hers and reached out behind her but she dodged his arm.

"Can I please have he keys?"

Lindsay smiled devilishly. "No, I wanna drive."

Danny struggled with her for the keys, causing her to giggle.

"Come out to dinner with me," Danny said seriously, out of the blue, bodies still dangerously close.

"Well for starters, it's breakfast. And I'm thinking between us getting to the airport and our plane leaving at 9:40 we hardly have time to wine and dine," Lindsay joked.

Danny smiled. "I mean later on this week, in New York, we could go out for drinks or something."

"I'll hold you too it."

Danny's body inched closer to Lindsay's. "So are you gonna give me back the keys now?"

"Come get them," Lindsay whispered teasingly.

Danny reached across her body, his lips stopping inches from hers.

"Watch yourself Monroe, if you're not careful-"

"Okay," Hawkes called, approaching from the house. "We're good to go."

Danny stepped back quickly. "We were just discussing who should drive to the airport."

"That's easy," Hawkes answered, grabbing the keys that were still hiding behind Lindsay's back. "I'll drive."

Danny shrugged and got into the back seat with Lindsay as Hawkes got into the front.

"Oh, that reminds me," Hawkes said, turning around to face Danny and Lindsay. "I'm glad that you two have acknowledged your feelings and don't get me wrong I'm happy for you, but don't forget there is a third person here and he doesn't want to see…well anything. So… no monkey business or anything."

Lindsay cracked up at Hawkes' choice of words.

"Monkey business?" Danny asked amused.

Hawkes rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Gosh, why do I sudden feel like a 13 year old babysitter?"

* * *

The three CSI's arrived at the airport ten minutes before their plane was due to leave. Danny stifled a yawn. 

"Tired Messer?" Hawkes teased.

"I just really need a good nights sleep in my own bed."

"Not wrong there," Lindsay agreed. Danny smirked. _'Yeah,'_ He thought. _'Lindsay could use a night in my bed, but there wouldn't be much sleep going on.'_

They met up with Robby and said their goodbyes. Robby did not come bearing balloons this time.

Moments later they were seated on the plane, Hawkes closest to the aisle. He took in a deep breath as the plane was about to take off.

"You just have to take your mind off it," Lindsay advised.

"Veronica," Hawkes mumbled distantly.

"Uh sure, if she's what takes your mind off flying…" Lindsay replied.

The plane began to rise. Hawkes nodded his head forward, gripping onto his seat. "No, Veronica, over there."

Danny and Lindsay looked two rows in front of them and sure enough, on the left, there was Veronica.

"What's she doing here?" Danny asked. "This is a direct flight to New York."

Hawkes noticed the plane was now up in the air and took his seatbelt off. "I'm gonna go find out."

Danny and Lindsay watched from their seats as Hawkes approached the dark haired woman.

"Veronica."

"Sheldon," She replied with a smile.

"What are you doing here? You told me you worked in a lab in Illinois."

"That's right, I _worked_ in Illinois. I've been transferred to the New York crime lab."

Hawkes was speechless.

"I couldn't make it to the party last night because I had calls to make, and finalize everything," She explained. Hawkes was still speechless. Veronica smiled and patted the empty seat next to her.

"You gonna stand there the whole flight or are you gonna sit with me?"

Lindsay and Danny watched as Hawkes took the seat next to Veronica.

"Guess they sorted things out," Lindsay commented.

"Mm hm," Danny muttered wearily.

"You okay?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah, just kinda tired."

Lindsay smirked. "That's what you get for sneaking into my room at midnight."

Danny grinned and grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers. Lindsay sighed and rested her head on Danny's shoulder.

"I'm glad nothing happened between us yesterday," Lindsay said quietly.

Danny gasped. "That hurts."

Lindsay couldn't see his face but she knew it was full of mock hurt. She grinned.

"I mean last night, I'm glad we stopped when we did, before we jumped into anything," Lindsay added.

"Me too. I don't wanna rush things with you Lindsay, I wanna get it right, and not scare you away."

Lindsay noticed that Danny called her 'Lindsay' when he was serious, and called her 'Montana' or 'Monroe' when he was being playful. Lindsay had grown accustomed to 'Montana' and she loved the way said 'Lindsay', so it was the perfect combination for her.

She lifted her head up off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "You're not gonna scare me away Danny."

She kissed him lightly on the lips and rested back down on his shoulder. She let out a sigh as Danny's arms tightened around her. The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep with Danny's arms around her was that she felt as if nothing could touch her.

* * *

Danny's eyes shot open as a bright flash burned through his eyelids. Hawkes smiled sheepishly as he put away his camera. 

"Just a little evidence for Flack and Stella," He explained.

Danny let go of Lindsay and rubbed his eyes, causing her to wake up.

"About that… we're gonna need you to keep your mouth shut."

Hawkes shrugged. "Like they won't find out."

"What are you doing back here anyway?" Lindsay asked yawning.

"Planes about to land," Hawkes explained as he buckled himself in. "I-I think I'm starting to get use to this whole flying thing."

"So why is Veronica coming to New York?" Danny asked.

"Well, she's transferring to our lab. She's gonna be working with us."

"Our team?" Danny asked.

Hawkes nodded. "Apparently Mac put in a request."

Lindsay smiled. "Looks like I won't be the new girl anymore."

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop calling you Montana."

"Hmm, are you gonna start calling the new girl _'Illinois?'_ "

Hawkes screwed up his face. "I think we'll stick to Veronica."

After the plane landed they unbuckled their seats and proceeded off the plane. They were surprised to see Mac standing near the news stand, waiting for them.

"Mac?" Lindsay asked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure my CSI's landed safely. All four of them," Mac replied.

At that minute Veronica approached. "Mac!"

She ran up to him and gave him a hug. Danny, Lindsay and Hawkes watched. They'd never seen Mac hug anyone.

"It's good to see you again Veronica," Mac greeted.

She turned to Hawkes. "I told you we'd be working together."

"I take it you've already met at the conference," Mac noted.

"Sort of. I'm Mac's sister-in-law, and your new colleague."

Lindsay frowned. _Sister-in-law?_ She noticed Veronica had no wedding ring, and she seemed too young to be married._ Which would mean…_

"I called two cabs," Mac announced. "Seeing as half of you live across town."

The five of them collected the luggage and made their way to the cabs.

"I'll see you all on Monday," Mac fare welled.

"By Mac," Lindsay called as she got into the cab with Danny. As they drove off she turned to him.

"Mac's married?"

Danny nodded. "Well, he was married. His wife died in the September 11 attacks."

Lindsay bowed her head. "That's awful."

"Veronica must've been Clare's sister," Danny stated. He noticed the look on Lindsay's face and quickly added, "Don't feel bad for not knowing Montana."

Lindsay sighed. "It's not just that."

"Then what?"

"There's, there's a lot of stuff I still don't know about you guys… and there's also some stuff you don't know about me."

Danny swallowed slowly. "I know you got some stuff in your past Lindsay and-"

"And I can't tell you but… I need you to be there for me," Lindsay finished for him. "If, if it ever came up again, I need to know that you're not gonna just run away."

Danny smiled slightly, grabbing Lindsay's hand and squeezing it. "You gotta trust me Monroe, I don't run at the first sign of danger."

Lindsay relaxed a little and Danny kissed the top of her head.

He couldn't understand why she got so worried. She definitely didn't have to worry about his feelings for her. With the way he felt, she had absolutely nothing to be worried about. But he knew that she couldn't read minds, that some things just had to be said. This was the part Danny struggled with, putting feelings into words.

He was great at talking to women, he could charm the pants off of anyone, but this was completely different. He'd never had feelings so strong that he had to explain. For Danny to be able to express the feeling he got when he was with Lindsay was just impossible.

They arrived at Danny's apartment first. Danny was about to slide out of the cab when Lindsay grabbed his arm.

"Hey, you free tonight?"

Danny smiled. "You sure don't waste any time do you. Why don't you come to my place later on, I'll cook for you, say seven?"

Lindsay nodded. Danny paid the driver and ventured out into the cold. He got his bags out of the boot and shivered in the icy wind. It was scheduled to rain that night, and Danny couldn't help but think how much more romantic it would make his evening with Lindsay.

* * *

Lindsay stepped out of her shower at 5:45 and went into her room to find something to wear to Danny's. She was glad to shower in her own bathroom again, though she had to admit, Danny Messer in her tub in Dallas definitely had it's perks. 

Lindsay opted for a black skirt and dark blue blouse. Dressy, but not too dressy.

* * *

Danny filled a pot with water and placed it on the stove. He moved around the kitchen with grace, a natural cook. He pulled the cheese out of the fridge as he heard a knock at the door. He glanced at his watch. 

6.55.

He smiled and made his way to the door. He had some last minute shopping to do so diner was running a little behind schedule. Danny just figured it would give him a chance to show off his cooking skills.

He swung the front door open excitedly, but his face fell when he saw who it was.

A woman, in a sexy red lingerie was posing in his doorway. It was Danny's ex-girlfriend.

"Mandy, what are you doing here? You catch a cab wearing that?" Danny asked annoyed.

She ignored the questions and welcomed herself into Danny's apartment. Danny left the door open, expecting his unwanted guest to leave any minute.

"I called you while you were on your little trip," She stated, walking around Danny's apartment.

"I know," He replied flatly. "Look, I told you already. This ain't gonna work between us."

"I thought you would've had time to sort through your feelings while you were gone," said Mandy as she inspected Danny's cooking.

"Yeah I did. I sorted through my feelings, and found out what I wanted," Danny replied, hands in pockets.

Mandy smiled devilishly and approached Danny. "What do you want?"

"Not this," He replied sternly.

Mandy inched her body closer to Danny's and ran her hands over his chest. "Not this?"

Danny closed his eyes. "No."

Mandy moved her hands up to his face and kissed him on the side of his mouth.

"What about this?" She continued, running her lips slowly against Danny's. He held his breath. As soon as she would back away, he could push her out the door. But right now, with the proximity, he couldn't move a muscle. One slight flinch and she could pounce on him.

"Tell me this doesn't feel good," She murmured into his lips. Once again Danny didn't react. When he felt her suddenly step back he opened his eyes. Mandy was looking past Danny. He swirled around, and nearly died when he saw Lindsay standing in his doorway. She just stared at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

* * *

... 


	9. Chapter 9

This is the last chapter of 'Let love in', sigh. Thanks for all your reviews and support. The lyrics belong to the Goo Goo Dolls.

* * *

Danny cleared his throat to talk, but nothing came out. He was begging his mouth to say something, anything. 

"Can we help you?" Mandy asked Lindsay with her hands on her hips, a demanding tone.

Lindsay swallowed, never taking her eyes off of Danny.

"No, uh, I-I'm leaving."

Lindsay quickly headed out the door, and Danny didn't skip a beat in running after her.

"Wait," Mandy protested, grabbing Danny's arm as he ran past. "What about me?"

"If you were the one I wanted, I wouldn't be running after Lindsay," Danny quickly replied before taking off again. He bolted down the stairs just as Lindsay ducked around the corner. She must have been running because she seemed to be quite far ahead of Danny. He couldn't let her leave, not like this, not without an explanation.

By the time Danny got outside, Lindsay was only a few metres in front of him, storming through the pouring rain. Danny hesitated briefly before running out after her.

"Lindsay wait!"

He finally caught up with her and stood in front of her so she couldn't get away. He couldn't tell whether her cheeks were streaked with rain or tears. When he looked closely into her eyes he could tell it was definitely the latter.

Lindsay broke away from his gaze and pushed past him.

"Lindsay!"

Danny gripped her shoulder. "Please just listen to me. It's not what you think."

"I don't wanna do this Danny," Lindsay murmured, escaping his grasp.

"You gotta listen to me Li-"

"No! Dammit, I knew this would happen, I knew this was a mistake," Lindsay yelled through the rain. "I knew I'd end up getting hurt again. I just wanna get away from you Danny."

Danny was stung by her words. Lindsay lowered her voice, but the bitterness and hurt were still evident.

"You promised you wouldn't do this Danny. You promised you wouldn't break my heart."

"She just came over and she was wearing that thing-" Danny rambled.

"I never should've trusted you."

"-and then she just started kissing me and-"

"Once a player, always a player."

"- and she tried to seduce me, and I wanted her to go away-"

"You don't get it do you! It doesn't matter what happened Danny, all that matters is that it's hurting like hell!"

Lindsay's words cursed like venom, yet Danny couldn't take his attention off of the hurt in her eyes.

"This thing between us Danny, it doesn't exist anymore, it can't," Lindsay stated, before turning and continuing in the rain. Danny looked like a kicked puppy, drowning in the rain. His heart stopped at Lindsay's words.

"You can't mean that Linds," Danny called out. She ignored him and stood at the curb, waiting for a taxi. She could no longer hear hear his voice, just the rain and the sobs that escaped her lips.

"Don't do this Lindsay," Danny called again.

A cab stopped near Lindsay, and Danny watched as she wiped her face and got into the cab. Not looking back.

Danny kicked a puddle furiously. The only woman he truly cared about had just walked away from him. He couldn't just let it end here. He was going to fight for Lindsay Monroe.

* * *

By the time Lindsay had reached her apartment she was still soaking wet and cold. She had apologized countless times to the cab driver for making his back seat wet. He seemed sympathetic. 

Lindsay threw her keys onto the table and looked at her answering machine. Five missed calls, three messages. Lindsay deleted them all.

She stripped off her wet clothes and took a steamy bath. She didn't want to think about what had happened, she wanted to block the images from her mind. She knew she shouldn't have fallen for Danny, she was an idiot to think he would be any different than all the other guys.

Loud banging at her door snapped Lindsay to attention.

"I know you're there Lindsay," Came Danny's muffled voice from outside. Lindsay sighed and submerged her head under the steaming water. The banging didn't stop.

She sighed angrily and got out of the tub. Wrapping a bathrobe around her body she stormed towards her door.

"Go away Danny," She called through the door.

"Open the door Lindsay."

Lindsay opened the door slightly to see Danny, drenched from the rain.

Danny stared at Lindsay's attire briefly before speaking. "Can I come in?"

"No," Lindsay replied sternly, arms crossed. "I want you to leave Danny."

"At least let me explain," Danny begged. This was the first time Danny had ever begged for a girl at her doorstep.

"I don't want to hear it Danny. Right now I don't care what happened. I wish we never started anything between us."

Danny looked down at the ground briefly. "After all we went through… the conference… you wanna end it just like that?"

Lindsay's voice faltered, fully aware of the pain she was causing Danny.

"I-" She took a deep breath and tried to make her next statement sound convincing. "I think it's best if we just go back to being colleagues. Treat me… the way you treat all your colleagues."

Danny sighed and looked down at the ground, once again defeated.

"Ok Lindsay, we'll go back to being colleagues."

* * *

Danny arrived at work on Monday morning later than usual. He had asked Mac for the day off, but Mac called during Danny's late breakfast saying that they were working a high profile case and that he needed all hands on deck. 

Danny put on his lab coat and entered the layout room. Luckily Lindsay was nowhere to be seen. He was sure he couldn't face her again after what had happened on the weekend.

Stella entered the room. "Hey there Danny, looks like we've got a long day ahead of us."

Danny simply nodded and started on the evidence.

"Hawkes, Mac and Lindsay are at the scene collecting the other half of the evidence," She added. Danny remained silent. Stella sighed and stood next to him.

"Okay Danny, spill."

He shrugged. "Nothing to spill."

"Ha, yeah right. What's going on between you and Lindsay?"

Danny's eyes remained on the clothes he was examining.

"What, Hawkes show you the picture from the plane?"

Stella's eyes sparkled slightly with amusement. "Picture?"

Danny shook his head. "Nothing. How'd ya know it has something to do with Lindsay?"

"Because I saw her this morning, and she seemed even more depressed than you. I think she's really upset," Stella said, concerned.

Danny sighed. "Yeah, well unfortunately that's my fault."

Stella took out a pair of trousers and began processing them.

"You want my opinion?" She asked after a while.

Danny smiled slightly. "Do I have a choice?"

"It's obvious you two have feelings for each other. Talk to her; let her know how the big tough Danny Messer feels."

"She knows how I feel Stel, and she just wants to be friends."

"And you actually believe that?"

"She told it to my face. Could we please just drop it?"

Stella turned her attention back to the trousers.

"Well, if you ask me-"

"I didn't"

"If you ask me, the reason she's so upset is because she cares about you. If she wanted to be just friends, she wouldn't be so upset."

Danny moaned. "So what am I spose to do?"

"Show her you care. Don't be scared to put your heart out there on your sleeve."

"Ha, already tried that one, and it blew up in my face."

"Then try again. And if it backfires, try again. And if it still backfires-"

"Why are you so determined to see me and Lindsay together? You wanna get us fired or something?"

Stella chuckled. "No. I just wanna see my boy happy."

She pat him on the shoulder affectionately.

"I had no idea you were such a romantic," Danny replied.

"Just because I'm manipulative and can wrap you boys around my finger, doesn't mean I don't have a heart."

* * *

Lindsay returned to the lab with Hawkes and glanced at Danny through the glass. She wasn't really mad at him, just upset. Upset that she cared about him so much to be so affected by what had happened on the weekend. Danny had tried to explain to her that it was a misunderstanding, and deep down she knew Danny wouldn't cheat on her. But just because someone doesn't want to hurt you, doesn't mean they won't. 

"I'll take the tapes to Adam, go help Danny and Stella," Hawkes instructed. Lindsay nodded.

She was going to have to get used to working with Danny. She held her head high and walked briskly into the layout room. Danny glanced up briefly as she entered and thought back to what Stella said.

"Got anything off the clothes yet?" Lindsay asked them both.

"Nada," Stella replied.

Lindsay began processing evidence on the other side of the table. Stella noticed the awkward tension between them.

"So," Stella said. "What do you think of the new girl, Veronica?"

"She seems nice," Lindsay replied. Danny kept his eyes down, and silence filled the room again.

Stella cleared her voice. "Well, I'm gonna go get some coffee. You guys want anything?"

Danny shook his head.

"No, but thanks Stella," Lindsay replied politely. Stella left the room and the tension grew thicker. It seemed to be affecting Lindsay more than Danny, as she kept glancing up at him. Danny could sense her eyes on him.

"You got a problem Montana?"

Lindsay cleared her throat but didn't answer. Silence filled the room again. A few minutes later Lindsay sighed, fed up. "I can't work like this."

"Like what?" Danny asked innocently, looking up.

"Like this, like… like we can just forget what happened between us."

Danny sighed. "You said you wanted things to go back to normal."

"This isn't normal Danny."

"So what do you want Lindsay? An apology? I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry Mandy came over, I'm sorry she ruined it all."

Danny's voice was strangely calm.

Lindsay groaned. "I… I know it's not your fault-"

"But you're still mad at me right?"

Lindsay sighed and went back to her work.

"Look, just so you know," Danny spoke softly. "I don't have a grudge against you for breaking things off. I can do my job, without this affecting it. I just have one question."

Lindsay looked up.

"When you saw Mandy in my apartment, did it change the way you felt about me?"

"If you're asking me whether I still have feelings for you then the answer's yes, I can't deny that, but it can't work out between us Danny."

"Why not? Because you have a fear of getting hurt?"

Lindsay bit her lip. "It's just easier this way Danny. If we're just friends then I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me."

Danny nodded." Okay, you're entitled to your opinion. Question is, how good's you will power?"

Lindsay looked up to see Danny wearing his famous Messer grin. His mood had quickly changed. Lindsay bit back a smile.

"Will power?"

"Uhuh. Look Montana, it's no secret I wanna be with you, and I know deep down that you wanna be with me also. I'm not the type of guy who just sits back and watches his dreams float away. I'm not gonna push you, but when you decide you're ready, I'll be waiting."

Danny exited the room briskly leaving behind a stunned Lindsay.

* * *

Lindsay knocked gingerly on the door of Mac's office. He nodded her in. 

"We found nothing on the clothes, no hits on prints or DNA," Lindsay reported. Mac sighed and Hawkes entered the room.

"How are we going on that tape?

"Gave us a list of suspects, Danny's in his office now checking them out," Hawkes replied.

"Okay, Lindsay go help Danny. Hawkes go with Veronica and question Stanley again," Mac ordered. Lindsay and Hawkes left his office.

"You wanna swap? I'll go with Veronica and you can help Danny," Lindsay suggested.

Hawkes shook his head. "I heard something happened between the two of you, you can't avoid him forever."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Please, you just wanna get in Veronica's good books," She quipped.

"Please, I'm already in her good books," Hawkes called, as he parted ways with Lindsay.

Lindsay entered her office that she shared with Danny and sat across from him.

Danny smiled, though his eyes remained on the computer screen.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Don't get any ideas, I'm here because Mac told me to help you."

"Did I say anything?"

Lindsay crossed her arms and Danny smiled again.

"You gonna help me from all the way over there?"

Lindsay got up and leaned over Danny's shoulder to see the computer screen.

"Now ain't that a better view?"

"Yeah, for the guys watching behind me," Lindsay mumbled.

Danny chuckled. "Okay, so this video gives us five possible suspects. I've got three so far. Janis Moret, a chef at Ponty's Restaurant, Jean Claude, bank teller, and Ronnie Oset, pharm rep."

He handed Lindsay the files. "I'll go see Flack and see what else we can dig up. You can sit here in my oh-so-comfy chair and I.D. the last two."

Danny got up and nudged Lindsay into his seat. He got halfway out the door, and then stopped and turned around.

"Actually, there's one more thing."

Danny held out a small envelope. Lindsay hesitated before taking it.

"Like I said, I'm not gonna push you," Danny stated. "Think of this as a…reminder."

Danny left as Lindsay opened the envelope. In it was a small card with Danny's handwriting.

_You wait _

_Wanting this world to let you in_

_And you stand there a frozen light_

_In dark and empty streets_

_You smile hiding behind a God given face_

_But I know you so much more_

_Everything they ignore_

_Is all that I need to see_

After Lindsay found the I.D.'s of the two remaining suspects she headed to the break room for coffee. She ran into Danny and Flack on their way out.

"Guys, the tall blonde in the video is Nancy Dune, and the other was Conan Jacobs, an assistant at our vic's firm," Lindsay informed, glancing briefly at Danny.

"Okay, I'll go see what he has to say," Flack replied before leaving, followed by Danny.

Lindsay made her way to the coffee pot and saw a card sitting beside it. She looked up and saw Danny ducking his head around the corner. She glanced at him accusingly, but he just shrugged innocently and left.

Lindsay turned the card in her hands, running her fingers over Danny's penmanship.

_You're the only one I ever believed in_

_The answer that could never be found_

_The moment you decided to let love in_

_And now I'm banging on the door of an angel_

_The end of fear is where we begin_

_The moment we decided to let love in_

Lindsay found herself smiling as she read the card. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and poured herself a cup of coffee. It was amazing that in the seconds it took to read the card, Lindsay had forgotten all the awkward moments and tension between her and Danny. She was finding that as the day went on, she was wanting him more and more. Forget what her head was saying, her heart was screaming for Danny Messer.

* * *

"So you liking it here?" Danny asked Veronica as they processed together in the layout room.

"Sure, it's a little hard to get use to it though."

Danny smirked. "Yeah, try moving from the country to a big city like this."

"You're from the country?"

"No, no, but Lindsay Monroe is a purebred country girl," Danny explained.

Veronica smiled. "Ah, Lindsay. The girl you were complaining about in Dallas."

Lindsay, who was walking down the hall to see Mac, heard her name and entered the room.

"Hi guys."

"Speak of the devil," Veronica smirked.

"Talking about me again Messer?" Lindsay quipped.

"You know it. What's up Montana?"

"Montana?" Veronica asked confused.

"I'm from Bozeman, Montana. _Someone_ thought it'd be funny to haze the new girl. It's kinda stuck ever since," Lindsay explained.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "I was this close to dubbing you _Illinois_."

Veronica frowned. "Yeah, not exactly a fan of that one. Montana's kinda cute though."

Danny grinned.

"Anyway," Lindsay continued. "Mac wants an update, any news?"

"Nothing yet," Danny replied.

"How come you have to give Mac updates like every hour?" Veronica asked.

"High profile case. Mac wants to know everything that happens, when it happens, where it happens," Danny answered. He picked up a yellow file.

"Tox results from our vic if Mac wants to see them." He handed the file out to Lindsay and she accepted it before leaving the room.

On her way to Mac's office she opened the file, and a small piece of card slipped out. She bent down to pick it up and smiled at the familiar writing.

_I wish _

_Wishing for you to find your way _

_And I'll hold on for all you need_

_That's all we need to say_

_I'll take my chances while_

_You take your time with this game you play_

_But I can't control your soul_

_You need to let me know_

_You leaving or you gonna stay?_

Lindsay smiled at the relevance of the words that were calling out to her from the card.

* * *

Lindsay rubbed her eyes and collapsed on the sofa in the break room. Stella, Hawkes, Danny, and Veronica entered the room moments later.

"We can nail this guy, we just need more evidence," Stella complained as she headed for the coffee pot.

Mac entered the room. "The case has been taken off our hands."

"What?" Danny asked.

"Apparently our progress wasn't efficient enough. It's been passed on to higher _authorities_." The room let out a sigh.

"Good work today guys, go on home," Mac said before leaving.

Stella, Hawkes and Veronica all left. Danny went to put his cup in the sink.

"I was about to give that file to Mac you know. If I hadn't read it before hand…" Lindsay said from the couch.

"Then I guess it's lucky you read it."

"You were willing to risk it?"

"Nah, it wasn't a risk. I knew you'd read the file before handing it off to Mac."

"How?"

Danny shrugged. "I know you better than you think Monroe."

He made his way to the door. "You heading out?"

"Um, I'm gonna do some paper work first," Lindsay replied.

"Right. Night Montana."

* * *

After half an hour of paperwork Lindsay decided she'd throw in the towel and finish it tomorrow. She began packing up her things and found a card in her drawer._You're the only one I ever believed in_

_The answer that could never be found_

_The moment you decided to let love in_

_Now I'm banging on the door of an angel_

_The end of fear is where we begin_

_The moment we decided to let love in_

Lindsay smiled, Danny sure didn't give up. Lindsay couldn't block the thought in the back of her mind that she didn't want Danny to give up, that she wanted him to fight for her.

She shook the thoughts from her head as she entered the locker room. If she let Danny back in then she would get hurt again, and Lindsay Monroe was sick of getting hurt.

As she opened her locker another piece of card fell out.

_There's nothing we can do about _

_The things we have to do without _

_The only way to feel again_

_Is let love in_

_There's nothing we can do about_

_The things we have to live without_

_The only way to see again_

_Is let love in_

Lindsay collected her things and left. Maybe letting Danny back in wasn't such a bad idea. After all, if she was gonna be happy with anyone, it was him.

She made her way to her car. Normally she would just take a cab but this morning she felt like driving.

As she got closer to her car she recognized a small piece of card attached under her wipers. It was wrapped in plastic, protecting it from the rain.

_You wait, wanting this world to let you in_

_You're the only one I ever believed in_

_The answer that could never be found_

_The moment you decided to let love in_

_And now I'm banging on the door of an angel_

_The end of fear is where we begin_

_The moment we decided to let love in_

_The moment we decided to let love in_

_The moment we decided to let love in_

Lindsay got into her car and flipped the card over. The writing on the back was more scribbled.

'_Like I said, just a reminder, from one city boy to a country girl.'

* * *

_

Danny let out a sigh as he collapsed on his couch. He opened his beer and began flipping through channels. His head snapped up at a knock at his door.

Danny sighed and got up. If that was Mandy again, he was gonna crack a fit. How many times did he have to tell her, it wasn't...

Danny's thoughts ran from his mind as he found Lindsay at his door. She held her jacket in one hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear with the other.

"Uh, Lindsay-"

"Why do you want me Danny?" Lindsay cut him off. "Why are you going through so much trouble just for me?"

Danny took a breath. "Believe me, you're worth the trouble. I want you... because when I'm with you I get this feeling. This feeling I've never felt before. It makes my hair stand on end and the blood rush to my face. It makes my heart beat faster and my head spin out of control. There's still a lot I don't know about Lindsay Monroe, but I want to learn more about you. I wanna be part of your life, and not just as a friend. I wanna be the one you turn to, I wanna..." Danny trailed off as Lindsay's eyes bore into his.

"You seem to want a lot," She replied quietly.

"No, not a lot, just you."

Lindsay held out one of Danny's cards. Danny took it from her. It was the double sided card on which he wrote "From one city boy to a country girl."

Danny looked at the card with confusion, thinking this was her way of rejecting him. When he looked up again Lindsay was holding out another of Danny's cards. The blank space on the back now had writing on it. One simple word.

_This_

She handed him another card.

_Cowgirl_

And another.

_Wants_

_You_

_City boy._

Danny looked up at Lindsay, who spoke softly. "I was too scared to open up to you because I didn't want to get hurt. But it turns out not being with you hurts even more. When I first moved to New York I was the 'new girl'. I didn't know anybody and I felt so out of place. And then I met you. You played jokes on me, you gave me a nickname, you picked on my and I told you I hated it. Truthfully, you made me feel like I was part of the team, you made me feel like I belonged."

Lindsay paused and realised she was still standing in Danny's doorway. She stepped forward and closed the door.

"As time went by, the little jokes and the flirting meant more to me. I found myself falling for you and couldn't stop."

She took another step towards Danny.

"I love the fact you call me Montana and nobody else does. I love the way you lift your glasses onto your head when you're looking into the microscope. I love the way you pronounce Lindsay with an accent. I love the way you lick your lips when you're thinking and most of all, I love the way I feel when I'm with you."

Lindsay was blushing slightly and Danny was grinning. She took a breath and closed the gap between their bodies and pressed her lips against his. The electricity ran through their bodies, through their lips.

Lindsay grabbed onto Danny's shirt, pulling him closer. Lindsay was pushed back against Danny's door as his body crashed into hers. He grunted, sending chills down Lindsay's throat. She broke away breathlessly and rested her forehead against Danny's. She didn't want to get too carried away, at least not tonight. She closed her eyes delicately and Danny smirked.

"What am I gonna do with you Montana?"

"Whatever you want, I'm all yours Messer."

* * *

Thanks for all your reviews. I know alot of you are thinking 'What about the thing with Lindsay's past?' I originally wasn't going to get into it but now I'm thinking I'd like to do a sequel in which Lindsay must go back to Montana, Danny follows her, and learns about her past demons. Tell me what you think and whether I should do a sequel. It'd probably be in a few weeks after exams. Thanks, love you guys!


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